Portrait of Artist Alexander Popov 1850

Konstantin Makovsky painted this portrait of fellow artist Alexander Popov in Russia, though we don't know exactly when. It speaks to the shifting social status of artists in the 19th century. Consider Popov's gaze, directed upwards, as if divinely inspired. His bow tie and disheveled hair mark him as a member of the intelligentsia. The palette and brushes in his left hand are the tools of his trade. It is a romantic depiction that moves away from the older image of artists as mere craftspeople. Makovsky himself was a celebrated painter who embraced academic art but also engaged with the Realist movement. Portraits like this can tell us a lot about the changing role of artists and art institutions. To learn more, it's helpful to consult letters, biographies, exhibition reviews, and other documents that shed light on the social and cultural history of the time.